Impressionable Remedy
by AkaruiTenshi
Summary: When they were promoted to ANBU, Itachi, Tayori, and Erika recieved a tattoo. A very particular, very important part of Tayori's character is revealed. What will Itachi do? Itachi/Oc Rated T for safety.


**Hi, people! This little piece is an extract of Life in Prosperity and Peace, prompted by a distinctive part of Tayori's character. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I ownly own my OCs. T.T**

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><p><strong>Impressionable Remedy<strong>

Tayori could hardly contain her excitement as she bounded over the roofs, following the chameleon masked ANBU with her teammates. The porcelain mask was smooth, cool, and snug on her face, covering all of her distinctive facial features. It smelled of fresh paint, a constant reminder of her new status: a rookie ANBU.

Feeling like her grin was about to split her face, she sped up, easily catching up to Kamereon. The ANBU chuckled and shot forwards, constantly remaining a pair of roofs before her whenever she tried to keep up. A growl from her right told Tayori her cousin wasn't pleased.

"Damn it, Tayori!" Erika grunted. "Slow down!"

She ignored her cousin and pushed some chakra to her legs, increasing her speed. A massive gust blew past her, signaling her cousin's take off as a few golden brown feathers brushed her arms. Tayori began laughing as she felt those tell-tale wings tickling her neck. An all too familiar hand gripped hers and pulled her forwards, nearly making her face plant into a russet shingled roof. Looks like Itachi also wanted to race.

Tayori had been so involved in the challenge that she nearly crashed into Itachi when they slid to a stop. Glancing to her sides, she noticed that they'd ended up in a tie. Vowing to ask for a rematch, Tayori followed the chuckling ANBU into the rundown building. The exterior was horribly dirty. The roof was missing shingles and the windows were boarded up with moldy wood. There wasn't a door or any visible security measures, but she could sense the small chakra flares of the ANBU guards stationed around the building. This was ANBU HQ?

The interior was as dreary as the outside. The walls were a dull gray, like the floor, the only spot of color being the vibrant green plants on either side of a black-wood desk. A bored looking woman was behind it, hurriedly signing papers, thick brown glasses nearly falling off her small nose. Kamereon ruffled her short, blue hair and she swatted him away, a grin on her lips.

"New recruits," he said when she shot Tayori's team a questioning look. "Standard procedure."

With a nod, the woman quickly scribbled down a note and handed it to Kamereon. With another playful fluffing of her hair, he walked away with the new ANBU, laughing at her indignant sputtering. Tayori arched a brow in her guide's direction. Close much?

After what felt like hours walking down a seemingly endless gray hall with nothing to entertain her except her dwindling excitement, Tayori began to question if they were ever going to get to wherever they were going. Her answer came minutes later when they stopped between two steel doors. Kamereon pushed Itachi to the left door, while she and her cousin were guided to the right. A cold chill raced down her spine and settled in her gut, eating up the warmth of her excitement. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

The room they entered was as bare as the halls, two chairs back to back in the center: one facing the door, the other facing the wall.

"You two wait here," Kamereon instructed as he shut the door behind them.

Erika sat down in the chair that faced the wall with a loud sigh. Tayori paced, the cold feeling in her gut slowly spreading through her body. She heard her cousin giggle.

"What's wrong?"Erika teased. "Having second thoughts?"

"No," Tayori mumbled. "I just have this bad feeling."

She saw Erika roll her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Something tugged at her mind at the moment,

_"Kamereon (Chameleon), take the new recruits to headquarters so that they may receive the symbol," the Hokage ordered. _

A symbol? Did the Hokage mean a tattoo or a painted kanji? I hope it's the kanji, Tayori thought with a shiver; needles and I _do not_ get along. She remembered the last time she'd been exposed the monstrosity that is that very sharp, very horrifying, thin, metal stick. They had to gag her, she'd been screaming so loudly. It was a nightmare she didn't want to repeat, whatever the orders or consequences.

Her musings were interrupted by a cart covered in a white sheet being rolled in by a hawk masked ANBU. She was flanked by a rat masked operative. They shut the door and Oonezumi (Rat) gently pushed her onto her the other chair, patting her shoulder.

"Alright rookies," Taka (Hawk) exclaimed with a clap. "You'll be getting your tattoos now –"

"Tattoos?" Tayori yelped.

Taka gave her a strange look and drawled out, "Yes, Hyo, tattoos."

Oonezumi pulled the sheet off the cart to reveal dozens of sharp needles and ink bottles. The sharp, metal objects glinted dangerously in the halogen light, taunting Tayori with the prospect of testing their sharpness. She felt her breath hitch.

"Oh no," she choked. "Oh no, no, no. I ain't getting anywhere near those things!"

A hand rested on her shoulder and bright green eyes stared into hers, glowing with worry. Erika began to speak, but was roughly shoved away as Tayori scrambled to the far corner of the room. The needles kept gleaming and laughing.

"Stay away," Tayori whimpered. "Don't you dare come any closer! I know what you're gonna do!"

She felt the blood rush through her veins as her heart pumped fasted and her breath came in short pants. Her palms were sweaty and those lights were too damn bright. She felt the room spin. Her legs became jelly. The needles were the only clear thing in sight, and they were reaching out to her, calling her name. They cackled and whispered all they could do, all the pain they'd inflict.

Two blurs tried to grab her, and she bolted, tearing off the uncomfortable restraint on her face. Safety called to her in the shape of a door, so she slammed it open and then nearly tore the next one right off its hinges. She had no idea where she was going. Instinct guided her now, and it led her to a black blur that she quickly knocked over, burying herself into it.

"Tay…wh…s wro…g?"

She shook and whined as she realized the needles had followed her to safety. They glinted happily in the fluorescent lights, whispering to her that she'd been caught, that there was no escape. Other muffled voices were speaking, but she couldn't understand what they said. They weren't familiar to her. The only familiar things were those metal terrors and the safety she clung to.

Then safety's grip tightened around her. Two unfamiliar things grasped her arms and tore off the fabric on her shoulder. She shrieked and thrashed, kicking anything in sight. She heard various crashes and grunts, but kept fighting. The grip hadn't loosened. A soft voice mumbled unintelligible things in her ear that brought her a small bit of comfort and she began to calm down. Maybe the things gripping her weren't going to help the needles after all. Maybe they were friends of the safety that held her.

The warmth became ice when something cold and metallic began dancing on her shoulder. She screamed and thrashed again, the needles now shrieking with laughter in her ear. They were touching her! Piercing her! That safety had betrayed her and helped those monsters get her, even as it kept whispering warm words. They were as traitorous as its grip and friends.

Suddenly, she felt that warmth spread through her body, starting at her lips. It washed away the ice on her shoulder and drowned out the voices of the needles. It was oddly comforting and tasted of safety, but not the traitorous one that helped the monsters. One that helped _her._ And with it came a very welcome darkness that shut everything away, except that precious warmth.

A sharp pain on her shoulder brought Tayori back to her senses. She was laying on something firm and warm, covered with another object that was silky against her skin. Her shoulder was wrapped tightly with some sort of cloth, yet it still stung as she moved her arm and rubbed her eye.

"Finally," someone mumbled. "You're awake."

"What happened?"

Her mind was foggy. The last thing she remembered was a white cart, Oonezumi, and Taka. She distinctly felt a shiver go down her spine, but ignored it in favor of remembering what happened. She felt a hand ruffle her hair and she glared at the person before her. Liquid black eyes stared back, glinting with amusement, worry, and something else she couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Itachi murmured. "That was one hell of an episode you had."

"Episode? Can someone fill in the blanks here? Because I'm lost."

"He's asking why you didn't tell us that your phobia of needles had gotten so bad," Erika said as she stepped behind Itachi.

"Or told me you had one," Itachi supplied.

"I really didn't tell either of you?"

"Nope."

"Well, now you know. I guess."

Her teammates howled with laughter and Tayori pouted. It wasn't her fault she couldn't remember the details! Her only memories of whatever happened were cold and warm sensations, specifically and overpowering, icy feeling being flooded by inexplicable warmth. She voiced her complaints and Erika was practically rolling on the floor with laughter while Itachi wouldn't look at her.

"I told you it would snap her out of it!" Erika exclaimed. "I just didn't know it would leave that much of an impression! Who knew you were such a good – mph!"

Itachi had clamped a hand over Erika's mouth, muttering under his breath.

"Such a good what?" Tayori questioned.

He rushed out of the room, and Tayori could've sworn she saw some red behind those raven bangs. Erika had become hysterical with laughter, as she was holding her stomach and crying. Tayori smacked her over the head with the pillow she'd been laying on, but her cousin just laughed harder.

"You should have seen his face!" she cried. "Priceless!"

And then her cousin left, still giggling and claiming she was going to apologize. With a huff, Tayori threw off the sheets and speed walked to the door, determined to find out exactly what was going on. When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sweet scent of gardenia. Looking down, she found three flowers at her feet: a gardenia, a purple lilac, and a yellow carnation.

"Who?"

She looked down the hall, but saw no one. She picked them up and noticed a strand of raven black hair tangled in the petals of the gardenia. Smiling softly, she stuck them in her hair and ran off. Itachi had a lot of explaining to do.

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><p><em><strong>Meanings:<strong>_

_**Gardenia- You're lovely, secret love, sweet love**_

_**Purple Lilac- First love**_

_**Yellow Carnation- Longing**_

__**Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! Review!**


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